Moving to Italy Project

Atualizando a vida

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Há muito tempo não escrevo. Imagino que ninguém tenha sentido falta, pois näo tenho, infelizmente, seguidores no meu Blog. Neste retorno, resolvi mudar o idioma do Blog para o português. Isso porque aliado ao meu projeto de um dia viver na Itália, há algum tempo venho cuidando incessantemente de arrumar meus documentos para o reconhecimento de minha cidadania italiana. Imagino que escrevendo em português e relatando, como tantos outros fazem, os passos para a realização deste sonho, é provavél que eu consiga iluminar um ou outro caso semelhante ao meu.
O trajeto para o reconhecimento da cidadania italiana não é fácil não, principalmente quando se tem por objetivo fazer esse reconhecimento na Itália. No Brasil, infelizmente, isso leva muito tempo.
Estou feliz em poder afirmar que já estou de posse de todos os documentos necessários, faltando apenas algumas retificações e, em seguida, a tradução dos mesmos para o italiano.
Descobri que se pode obter muita ajuda na internet em foruns de discussão com pessoas na mesma situação. Mesmo assim, o processo é longo e precisa-se ter muita determinação.
Espero poder continuar atualizando este meu Blog com os meus sucessos, até um dia expor aqui a foto do meu sonhado passaporte italiano.

The future

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:15:00 +0000

This is me envisioning the future I want: a sunny place, a house in the country, full of light. Not too many people around, but good friends always nearby. Work, yes, but most of all pleasure of each moment lived.

Who can give me a nice job in Italy? Can you?

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:57:00 +0000

I am looking for a good jon in Italy. Here is my profile in Linked in. There is no mistake, no regrets. I am a competent, dedicated and reliable employee. So, please contact me!!!

Table for Two

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:35:00 +0000

I have this incredible attraction to everything which is countryside style, vintage, shabby and beautiful. I love flowers, printed in everything, like in paintings, blankets, cups, plates, fabrics. Sometimes I wonder if it has to do with some previous life I have lived were these things where present in my day to day life. Now, for example, I have taken an enourmous passion for quilts. I wish I could buy lots of them. Better than that, I wish I could make quilts myself!! Could my life take a different turn in Italy? Most of my life I have spent in the city, working in offices, where I was mostly satisfied with my work. Lately, however, things are changing and I have this feeling of anguish growying inside me, as if it was a steady force trying to move my direction in life. Somehow this could mean a more fullfilling life in Italy, doing other sort of things. But exactly, when, how and where in Italy, we don't know...
The beautiful painting above, called "Table for Two" is by Linda Paul, who paints Tuscany landscapes. Isn't it beautiful?

Inspiration everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:58:00 +0000

Italy inspires me in many ways. The landscape, the food, the way of living. When we visited Italy last year (Toscana area) we used to go out for pizzas (of course) during the warm evenings in August and it was a pleasure to see Italians sitting outside talking. By outside I mean not only restaurants, but park and street benches. It seems they really like to get together and talk. This is common among Brazilians as well. Not so much among Norwegians, though.

Some people wonder why I want to move to Italy, being from Brazil (Rio) and presently living in Norway. Well, we have been in Norway for two years because after having lived in Brazil for 9 years, my Norwegian husband, our daughter and I came to Norway in search of better work opportunities for him. We have succeeded in that. However, Norway lacks good weather, sun and the social proximity one can find in Brazil and in Italy. Everything works fine here, no problem with slow internet connections, telephone lines or digital TV. You can have your passport renewed in one week and get it mailed to you. I call this efficiency. But, what are we looking for in a place to live? In Rio I resented having to live with fear. One is constantly afraid there. There is too much crime. In Norway I have only felt fear for the winter and how cold the wind will blow when I have to go out.

Italy seems to me to be in the middle of the two extreme situations described above. It seems to be safer than in Brazil and the weather is milder (in the winter) than in Norway. Not to mention that I would probably have many more visits from my relatives in Brazil, that seem to be convinced Norway is too far away (and too much out of the way) to come and visit me here.

Visualising and waiting

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:26:00 +0000

Lately I discovered a very useful site called Expats in Italy, in which there is a very useful forum for people wanting to exchange ideas about expat life in Italy. I posted a first question there and quickly got nice and friendly answers from the expat community. One of these answers came from Kataroma. I checked her blog and read something that inspired me to write a little today. She wrote a very interesting posting on the different kinds of foreigners she has managed to distinguish during the time she has lived in Italy. She picked up 6 types and the one I identify most with is nr. 5 (with elements of nr. 2 as well).

Who wouldn't be inspired by the film "under the Tuscan Sun" (mentioned in point nr. 2)? I definitely was, mostly because it represents aspects of a life I would like to be living. I like Italian culture, food and Italian landscape. It does remind me of my own Brazilian culture too.

Brazilians and Italians have a lot in common, including the language. I can easily see the mess I was used to living Brazil present in Italy too. Anyway, why not live in Brazil then instead of Italy, one could ask. There are several reasons and I will mention them eventually in future postings. I have to say, however, that my family and I moved from Brazil to Norway almost two years ago. My husband is Norwegian and we have a 9 year old daughter. Rio de Janeiro, where we lived for 9 years, until August 2006, was not proving to be a good business environment for him and we then decided to try our life in Norway. I managed to be transferred from the company I used to work for in Brazil and presently I am still working for that same company here in Stavanger. Life in Rio was too caotic, crowded, with lots of traffic jams, not to mention a high crime rate. We longed for a calmer and safer life.

Norway, however, is too cold and dark most of the year and this is too hard to bear. So, as my husband also nurtures a big admiration for the Italian culture, we have decided Italy would mean a very nice middle way alternative between Norway and Brazil. But we have our feet on the ground and we do not intend to just throw ourselves into some kind of crazy adventure. This is why the move will not happen so very soon. But it will and in the meantime we dream and try to visualise, as precisely as possible, the ideal place for us to live in Italy.

A house in the country side in Italy

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:22:00 +0000

A small farm, a cozy home, a computer with a high speed internet connection, some sort of work I could do from home, an international school nearby, my husband working from home and making enough for us to live a comfortable life and temperatures in the winter that do not go below 10 degrees C. Is this too much to ask for?

What actions am I taking to move to Italy?

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Well, first things first. My great grandfather, Emidio Raimundi, was an Italian that imigrated to Brazil around the year 1880. He and his brother ended up in a very tiny place in Minas Gerais, called Conceição das Pedras. It was there my mother, Rosa, was born.
Since I was a little girl my mother used to proudly talk about her Italian grandfather, but I never paid too much attention to it. He can be seen in this picture, together with the Brazilian lady he got married to, Mariana, my great grandmother and their kids.
After I grew up and started to love things Italian, I decided to investigate this ancentry my mother so much talked about and started to collect family documents, in an attempt to claim my Italian citinzehip. It happens that I am now progressing and with the help of a lawyer in Brazil, I am putting together pieces of my origin and history. The happy ending will be the day I manage to put everything together and finally start the process for my citizenship in Italy. I guess this will be the first major
step in the direction of moving to Italy.
Emidio Raimundi was born in Latronico, Potenza, in the Basilicata region. I have not been there yet.

Poppi, Tuscany and Ludovico Einaudi

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:27:00 +0000

Poppi is a small village in the Tuscany area, about 40kms from Florence. We were there in August 2007 and enjoyed our stay there very much. We stayed at a lovely hotel called I Tre Baroni and were very much welcomed by the owners themselves, three brothers, the real "Tre Baroni". What a charming hotel and what an espectacular view one has from there.
The main atraction in Poppi is a castle, "Count Guidi Palace", positioned to dominate the Poppi Valley. It is told that the castle was built in the second half of the 1200 as a strategic addition to the fortress.

Besides the Castle, we thouroughly appreciated another area called "Camaldoli". There we visited the Holy Hermitage of Camoldoli, a monastery situated in the middle of a lovely forest.

There is one thing, however, that we brought with us for ever from Poppi...the love for the music of Ludovico Einaudi. It was during our fist dinner in Poppi, at the "Tre Baroni" Restaurant, that we first listened to him. It was like being carried away in a very magical way. His music sounds actually like poetry in the form of musical notes. Click here and listen to him a bit. Then tell me if I am not right!

Things Italian - Nicoletta Ceccoli

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:07:00 +0000

I have recently discovered a magnificent Italian illustrator called Nicoletta Ceccoli. She was born and lives in San marino, Italy and has illustrated a number of children's books for famous Italian publishers. I was very impressed with her drawings, so touching, so out of this world and yet so close to our wildest dreams and imagination.

What is my ideal life in Italy?

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:55:00 +0000

Many thoughts on what to do to live in Italy come to my mind. However, apart from several natural beaurocratic obstacles in the way, I ask myself: what will I do in Italy that will support me financially and will give me inner satisfaction? It dawns on me that this is the most important question for me to find an answer to, before we pack our bags and go.

I have always worked for big and solid international companies where my English knowledge and my experience as an efficient personal assistant secured me good jobs. This is still the case today. I have enjoyed this kind of work so far, but I am now feeling a bit restless and wanting to find something else I could do outside this field of work. Could I be my own boss in Italy? I have considered that running a Bed & Breakfast would certainly be something I could do very efficiently. Could I have one? Seems like too high a mountain to climb to get to the other side. Or would it be better and simpler to find a job in another big international company somewhere in Italy? Does anybody know one that is looking for someone like me?

Ooops...Earthquakes in Italy!?

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:45:00 +0000

I was doing some research today about the Marche region in Italy when I came across a site with advices on what to be aware of when buying a property in that region. One of the things mentioned to be checked was if the house was prepared for the event of an earthquake. What? Earthquake? That was not part of my dream about living in Italy! Buying a house in Italy seems to be enough of a challenge with all the beaurocracy and paper work, ideal location, climate, prices etc. Now this? Oh oh.
This is a link to the source of this information. Below a picture of the risky regions, divided by category. Category 1 is the riskiest of all. Has anybody had any experience with earthquakes there or checking that the wanted houses are "fit" for this purpose?

Isn't this picture an incredible source of inspiration?

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:17:00 +0000

Reality and Daring and Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:56:00 +0000

I know I haven't written much here as bloggers normally do. I have always had this feeling that I should possess something quite new and interesting if I am to open my mouth. Not everybody feels that way and they openly express themselves in several different topics, not always having something extraordinary to say.
I have created three blogs and I try to keep to the main subject of each blog. Since this one is about our Move to Italy Project, I think I should only blog about subjects that match the main topic. It happens that not much is happening in this front. As I said above we are maturing the idea, thinking about what we would do there, how to make money, how to find a house, WHERE, how would school be for our daughter etc.
A few steps I have taken though. I have started to learn Italian, by myself, for example. Italian and Portuguese have a lot in common, but I have seen that Italian is really as difficult as Portuguese learning is for foreignes. Anyway, this is a challenge not so difficult to overcome.
I have started reading about Italy and I am presently reading "Italian Neighbours".
I have also begun to network more and more in Italian circles in the Internet, like Ecademy, Facebook, LinkedIn etc, in an attempt to talk to people and learn a bit with them.
Additionally, I have been in contact with a lawyer who is trying to help me organise my documents for me to apply for my Italian citizenship. This would be a HUGE step in the whole process. I am counting it will work out.
Anyway, when it comes to work in Italy, I have several mixed feelings. I have seen so many blogs and books and articles about people advocating how one can have their own business and all seem to have this perfect wisdom on how to do it. It seems to me most of these people must be childless couples or single very young individuals. What person past their forties would just drop everything (a secure job and a reasonable well organised life) to just venture him/herself in a new business venture? Unless, of course, this person has a huge saving account to back him/her up? It is not that easy. I think when people are writing about "Be your Own Boss" anywhere, all these things should be taken into consideration. I am really wanting to move to Italy, but I must solve these issues fist.
This is why the real news in this blog might go a bit slower than the other more daring bloggers/achievers :))

Official Start

noreply@blogger.com (My Yorkie Backyard) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:16:00 +0000

Well, I guess this BLOG indicates the official start for the Moving to Italy Project has been declared. While life goes on normally, research on the several aspects of an eventual move to Italy takes place. This means a lot of reading, both in the internet and in specialised books. One great source of inspiration has been to read Emma Bird's BLOG, How to Italy. I have been reading all her postings, dating back to November 2005. She's an expert on the matter and has a lot to say.
I have also been collecting useful links that I find on the way.